We’re delighted to announce that Glenda Lloyd, Master Director of Brindabella Chorus, has been honoured with the 2020 Ann Gooch Award!
Established in 2001, the Ann Gooch Award was created in recognition of Ann's lifelong dedication to Sweet Adelines International and the advancement of barbershop around the world. The award continues to be given annually to non-North American members who have contributed significantly to the furtherance of barbershop in the worldwide arena.
Previous Region 34 recipients of the Ann Gooch Award are:
- 2001 – Cathy Rainey, Western Australia
- 2009 – Lea Baker, New South Wales
- 2010 – Linda Wareham, New South Wales
- 2016 – Carole Macintyre, Western Australia
Since discovering barbershop at the age of 18, Glenda has been involved in almost every aspect of barbershop musical life. As well as being a director for most of that time, she has sung every voice part in choruses, sung in quartets, coached choruses, quartets and individuals, written and arranged music and encouraged people at all levels throughout the organisation to improve their skills and knowledge of the barbershop art form.
Glenda was a founding member of Brindabella Chorus in 1991, and has been directing since 1992. She has taken Brindabella to 16 regional contests. In 2016, two of her long-held dreams came true when the chorus scored over 600 points, making her a Master Director, and also qualified for the Harmony Classic.
In preparing for Harmony Classic, Glenda designed the package, wrote and arranged two original songs (It’s Time to Fly and Turbulence), arranged and wrote parody words to the Flower Duet (the Safety Duet) and arranged Viva Las Vegas. It was her drive and vision that spurred Brindabella on to become the first International Champion Chorus from Region 34. Continuing on from this success, Glenda led Brindabella to qualify for the 2020 Harmony Classic.
Brindabella is not the only group to have benefitted from Glenda’s song writing and arranging talents. She has written and arranged songs for many groups, including 2017 International Quartet Champions Frenzy and the 2018 Harmony Classic third place Division A chorus Circular Keys. Her arrangements are sung all over the world, and with her success in the 2018 Bursting With Song songwriting contest, even more groups will soon be able to sing her original works. Recently, Glenda was the inaugural winner of the Region 34 Arrangers’ Competition, with her arrangement of a classic Australian song, ‘Please Don’t Ask Me’.
Glenda is passionate about education and is extremely generous with her time, always willing to help choruses, quartets and individuals to develop their barbershop skills. She has been a member of the Regional Education Faculty since 1999 and enjoys travelling around Australia sharing her skills, knowledge and passion with choruses and quartets. Glenda was recently appointed to the Sweet Adelines International Faculty Program 2020–2023, which will give her an additional platform to assist Sweet Adelines all over the world.
Glenda’s website lists not only her arrangements, but her list of classes and a number of educational posts such as how public domain rules for music vary between countries. She has been the Regional Copyright and Licensing Advisor in Region 34 since 2019, and has recently completed a comprehensive set of copyright guidelines for our region.
Glenda has sung with many Sweet Adelines quartets over the years. She is currently singing bass with Debacle, Region 34’s Regional Champions in 2018 and second placed quartet in 2019 and 2017. Debacle has represented the region in New Orleans (wildcard), St Louis and also in Las Vegas when the 2017 Regional Champions (Hi-Jinx) decided not to compete. Glenda also sang lead with mixed quartet UMQ with her late wife Jennifer. In 2018 and 2017 UMQ came first in the Australian Eastern Region mixed quartet competition. UMQ came second at the 2018 Barbershop Harmony Australia Convention and second at the 2017 Pan-Pacific Barbershop Harmony Convention.
Glenda is an extremely worthy recipient of this award, and we are proud that she is one of the shining stars of Region 34!